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Should I ship a Pirate Roguelike?
Roguelike + Pirates
Of 36 developers who shipped a Pirate Roguelike in the last 2 years: 3 in 10 made under est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 4 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 20 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 61 more are announced, ×2.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $2.0k, ×3.1 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $270; 1 in 20 cleared $850k, ×1368 the market median. Revenue is up 65% on the market; 61 games are announced against 25 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $269 (exactly $269) |
|---|---|
| Median | $2.0k (exactly $1,950) |
| Top 25% | $11k (exactly $11,301) |
| Top 5% | $859k (exactly $859,214) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 36 |
| Released games | 72 |
| Announced | 61 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $6.99 |
momentum: how a niche's revenue percentiles and developer count moved between two equal, adjacent periods, divided by the market's own move. See method., 12 months: revenue up 65% on the market, supply 125% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 8%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Roguelike; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Roguelite, RPG
- Price point
- $6.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Pixel Graphics, 2D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.
The top 10 games average 72% positive over 5,281 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $270. 8 in 10 of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 61 games are announced against 25 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.4 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Roguelike with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + JRPGFair
- + 6DOFFair
- + Grand StrategyFair
- + VampiresFair
- + DogsFair
- + Artificial IntelligenceFair
- + SuperheroFair
- + IdlerFair
- + ArcadeFair
- + Walking SimulatorFair
- + 2D PlatformerFair
- + Traditional RoguelikeFair
Comparable games
The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu 2026 · $2.8M 
Pixel Piracy 2014 · $2.6M 
Abandon Ship 2019 · $863k 
Rogue Waters 2024 · $859k 
Pirates Outlaws 2020 · $429k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu | $29.99 | 3,107 69% | 93k | $2.8M (exactly $2,795,368) | ACE Team | |
| | Pixel Piracy | older | $14.99 | 5,713 65% | 171k | $2.6M (exactly $2,569,136) | Vitali Kirpu |
| | Abandon Ship | older | $24.99 | 1,151 71% | 35k | $863k (exactly $862,905) | Fireblade Software |
| | Rogue Waters | $29.99 | 955 75% | 29k | $859k (exactly $859,214) | Ice Code Games | |
| | Pirates Outlaws | older | $19.99 | 715 80% | 21k | $429k (exactly $428,785) | Fabled Game |
 | Buoyancy | · EA older | $12.99 | 808 54% | 24k | $315k (exactly $314,878) | Devs on a Boat |
 | Flinthook | older | $14.99 | 600 73% | 18k | $270k (exactly $269,820) | Tribute Games Inc. |
 | The Caribbean Sail | older | $14.99 | 503 93% | 15k | $226k (exactly $226,199) | Victorian Clambake |
 | Dead Weight | $12.99 | 575 82% | 17k | $224k (exactly $224,078) | Klukva Games | |
 | Endless Voyage / 无尽航线 | older | $16.99 | 407 65% | 12k | $207k (exactly $207,448) | Dalaran Game Studio |
 | Mark of the Deep | $19.99 | 229 73% | 6.9k | $137k (exactly $137,331) | Mad Mimic | |
 | Pirates Outlaws 2: Heritage | · EA | $14.99 | 105 60% | 3.2k | $47k (exactly $47,218) | Fabled Game |
 | Curse of Pirates | $9.99 | 121 80% | 3.6k | $36k (exactly $36,264) | Funky Parrot | |
 | Red Rogue Sea | $16.99 | 53 64% | 1.6k | $27k (exactly $27,014) | Firemage Studios | |
 | Reclaim The Sea | $11.99 | 41 75% | 1.2k | $15k (exactly $14,748) | 1LastGame | |
 | Fluffy Sailors | $12.99 | 29 79% | 870 | $11k (exactly $11,301) | Skaldery Games | |
 | HoloSeeker | $3.99 | 66 89% | 2.0k | $7.9k (exactly $7,900) | Imoyokan |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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